Study Many operations are unnecessary

Many operations are undertaken for seemingly economic reasons

07/06/2012

According to a new study commissioned by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance (SHI), many operations are performed less for medical reasons than for economic reasons. Because many clinics would target the Spitzenverband according to their sales too much.

Operation for economic reasons?
Many insured are stunned: „That can not be true?“ General anesthesia, knee surgery, then rehab - and all without medical necessity. The results of the latest study of the GKV-Spitzenverband draw an unprecedented horror scenario. After all, many operations in Germany are carried out for economic and less medical reasons. „You have to be more and more careful that you do not come under the knife, "said the hospital expert of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance, Wulf-Dietrich Leber.According to the coffers, more and more even scissors operations would be carried out for which there was not necessarily a medical necessity The increase in treatment numbers is often economically justified.

According to the Kassenverband, the number of treatments between 2006 and 2010 has increased by 13 percent. In the calculation, the heavier interventions were weighted more heavily than the lighter ones. Only 40 percent of this increase is due to the aging of the population, reports Boris Augurzky, study author and health expert of the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI). The offer of some clinics has also increased.

Several clinicians had stated that they had been arrested for more treatments. Health expert Kai Vogel from the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia advises patients who are facing a planned operation in advance, always critically to question whether and why the doctor considers the procedure to be necessary. „Ask what alternatives exist to the operation and what are the risks.“ If the patient has doubts, he can always „No“ say. „One should not be put under pressure as a patient“, so bird. It is important to be active and not just to listen to the doctor. For example, the question of how often the operation fails is also part of it. In order to gain more certainty as a patient, it would be just as legitimate to consult a second doctor for another opinion, for example, knee or disc problems. „The possibility should be taken. "

Operations are becoming more expensive
RWI and Kassenverband see the main cause of the rising treatment numbers in the fact that the operations are always more expensive and the clinics therefore increase the number of lucrative treatments. „Overall, the price increase from 2007 can explain a significant proportion of the case number development ", so a study result.

According to RWI and Kassenverband, the increase in orthopedic and cardiological interventions is particularly drastic. At the political level, the coalition plans to slow down the steady increase in interventions for financial reasons. This project criticizes liver, as it will only be effective in the short term. So the policy would only win time until after the next federal election. Schwarz-Gelb wants to introduce reductions for additional services in the hospitals of longer duration than before. Then the clinics would receive less money for extra services. „It must also be set at the price, if you want to get the crowd under control. "Liver should be able to have the opportunity to contract directly with hospitals, the expert said These treatments could then be transferred to other homes.

Significant increase in spinal surgery
At the congress of the German Society for Surgery in Berlin, which took place from April 24 to 27, 2012, the drastic increase in spinal surgery was discussed. Professor Bernd Kladny, future chairman of the German Society for Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery, explained that the static results of intervertebral disk patients with and without surgery are the same in the long term. Accordingly, patients should be well advised before such an intervention. Tormenting back pain, however, often causes those affected to undergo invasive surgery. In many cases, gentler procedures such as back pain exercises, osteopathy or physiotherapy could sometimes even achieve better results. Patients often lack patience. In addition, many orthopedic surgeons advise on appropriate interventions. Here it is suspected that many surgeries would be superfluous from a medical point of view and that these are only performed on the basis of the financial advantages of the clinics. (Ag)

Also read:
Unnecessary operations by professionals of the clinics
New doctors portal against unnecessary operations
Too many operations in Germany
Back surgery often does not make sense
Around 15 million operations a year

Image: Dieter Schütz